


Stargazing

by manycoloureddays



Series: Stargazing [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Lavender Brown/Parvati Patil - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 22:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7732285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manycoloureddays/pseuds/manycoloureddays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Everyone had a crush on Ginny Weasley. It was practically a right of passage for all us burgeoning lesbians –“</p><p>in which Ginny Weasley is the hot girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wingedgods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingedgods/gifts).



> because this is a 100% factual account of being a queer girl at Hogwarts in the 90s!

“I believe my only embarrassing crush at Hogwarts was entirely fabricated.”

Padma runs her fingers through Pansy’s hair where it hangs down past her shoulders. She’s been growing it out this winter.

She has vague recollections of Pansy making a show of fawning over Draco Malfoy on the other side of the Great Hall. Not that they had much cause to interact with each other at school.

It wasn’t until five years after the war that they crossed paths in a less incidental way. Parvati had dragged Padma away from her research for a night out in the gay bars of Muggle London. Pansy had been standing alone, watching the crowd, gin and tonic in hand. She was stunning in black jeans and a red blouse, a nose ring, and an asymmetrical bob. Completely different from the prim, tightly wound girl of their school days. The sheer surprise of seeing a familiar face out of context had spurred Padma forward, and she was standing next to Pansy before she had really thought it through.

Gravity. Padma had been studying the relationship between certain magical bodies most of her adult life, and there was no other way to explain it. It was like gravity.

She won’t ever admit it to Parvati – at least not sober – but she is incredibly glad her sister refused to take no for an answer. In that one very specific instance.

They are lounging in the middle of Parvati and Lavender’s living room floor amidst the remnants of their dinner. Padma has a vague recollection of intending to eat more, but mostly what they’ve been doing is drinking far more wine than is probably wise.

House stereotypes don’t apply once you’ve graduated. That’s the theory she’s working with anyway.

“I don’t know Parkinson, you and quite a few of your Slytherin friends had enormous embarrassing crushes on Ginny Weasley didn’t you?” Lavender taunts, one eyebrow raised in eternal judgement. Once she and Parvati discovered Divination in their third year they developed a way of making you feel judged from all moments in Time.

Pansy, sprawled across Padma’s lap, opens her eyes to wink up at her girlfriend, lips quirked in as much of a smile as she ever deigns to reveal in public.

There was a period in their lives when a backhanded remark about her Hogwarts house – especially one coming from a _Gryffindor,_ Rowena forbid – would have ended with Pansy’s wand out and threats raining down from both sides. Fortunately for Padma’s relationship with both her girlfriend, and her sister, Pansy’s reaction these days is to raise an even more dangerous eyebrow and respond in kind.

“Everyone had a crush on Ginny Weasley. It was practically a right of passage for all us burgeoning lesbians –“

“And bisexuals,” Parvati adds, raising a hand for her wife to slap.

Pansy nods as graciously as she can while horizontal.

“And bisexuals. All daughters of Sappho and the great Helga Hufflepuff had a crush on Ginny Weasley at some point or other. What with the blazing eyes, the righteous crusader reputation, and her skills on the Quidditch pitch, it was impossible not to. Just because yours was on the wrong Weasley, Brown…”

The conversation devolves from there, with Lavender gesticulating wildly with her wine glass, Parvati dramatically saving their cat Cassandra from the incoming spillage, and Pansy cackling, pressing her face into Padma’s knee.

 

           

They walk home along the river.

Padma has never liked Apparition; she hates feeling two sizes to big for her body. And Pansy never misses a chance to watch the night sky. She’s tracing increasingly obscure runes on the back of Padma’s hand, letting her guide them home while she stargazes.

“Ginny Weasley, hmm?”

Pansy whips her head around so fast Padma’s surprised she doesn’t get whiplash. If she didn’t know better she’d accuse Pansy of blushing.

“There’s no need to be jealous, dear,” Pansy aims for a smirk, but the hints of genuine worry in the tight corners of her eyes mean she misses by a mile.

“Oh, I know.” She is maybe having far too much fun watching Pansy squirm, but when the occasion is so rare. “She’s a famous sports star in a fairly public relationship with Luna Lovegood. You don’t really have a shot with her anymore. If you ever did.”

“Oh, shut up.” Pansy rolls her eyes, and looks back at the stars, smiling.

“I do think you’re on to something there though.”

“Hmm?”

“Everyone having a crush on Ginny Weasley. I mean, aside from the four of us, who all admitted to at least having noticed she’s attractive, there aren’t _that_ many girls I know who were into girls when we were at school. There’s Luna, who obviously has more than a crush.”

“Millie Bulstrode did.”

“I remember Parvati and Lavender talking about Katie Bell one summer. Apparently she had what she was worried was ‘an inappropriate crush’ on Ginny.”

“Inappropriate?” Pansy arches an eyebrow, and Padma plants a quick kiss on it. An old habit that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

“Age difference, I think. And then the other day I bumped into Demelza Robins. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with Ginny? She works for Parvati now, and she was talking about the high bar Ginny set for all the girls she’s been into since school.”

“I never thought I’d feel sorry for Weasley, but the hopes and dreams of queer girls everywhere resting on her shoulders must be a heavy burden.”

Padma shakes her head. Pansy really is ridiculous.

“Not all our hopes and dreams, I shouldn’t think.”

Pansy stops walking. She looks around, and Padma is just about to ask what on earth she’s looking for when she tugs on her hand, dragging her over to a brick wall.

“Not all our hopes and dreams, no.” Pansy smiles up at her, then darts forward closing the distance. Padma melts into the kiss. Lets her arms wind around Pansy’s back, pulling her closer. But the cold of the night means they can’t revel in the kiss too long. Pansy pulls back, presses a kiss to the tip of Padma’s nose, nods in satisfaction, and head back onto the path. Padma grins helplessly at the back of her head, before running to catch up.

“Tell me a story,” Padma asks, feeling giddy. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to this. Holding hands with the girl she loves, arms swinging loosely between them.

“Another star story?” Pansy asks, tilting her head backwards.

“Surprise me.”

“Okay.” She hums, spinning them around until they’re both giggling, buying time to think. “Okay. I’ve got one.”


End file.
